Masked Emotions
by fanofdenial
Summary: Hermione, Draco, and their respective friends return after the war to complete their seventh year. The war has clearly taken its toll on the atmosphere of the Castle, and so the staff holds a masquerade ball to try and liven things up. Hermione and Draco each dance with someone whom they feel a strong connection with. When disguises are removed, can prejudices be put aside?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and welcome to my new fic! After a bit of a hiatus, the urge to write a fresh multi-chap was too strong and here I am. I'm really excited about my new idea and have the basic outline laid out so I know where the story is going….for the most part. I've left some wiggle room for ideas along the way, as I am always open to suggestions and have found that sometimes stories take on lives of their own. ;) Without further ado, here is chapter one! ~Creds to JK Rowling**

Hermione's heart sank as she walked amidst the students boarding the Thestral-pulled carriages that would take them to Hogwarts. It was clear that many of the students could see the great winged beasts who were only visible to those who had witnessed death. In previous years, only a small handful of students could see the magical creatures, but now with the Battle of Hogwarts having been waged the year before, the number of students to whom the creatures were no longer invisible had increased greatly. Hermione's heart went out to her peers who had clearly all experienced loss and been forced to grow up all too soon. She had first noticed this aboard the Hogwarts Express. The journey from platform 9 ¾ was usually a monumental, joyful event filled with raucous laughter and a constant chatter. This year the tone had been distinctly muted; the aura of sadness that hung over the train was almost tangible, hovering like a dark cloud. She hoped that the teachers would have strategies in place to deal with the morose atmosphere.

She was jerked from her reverie rather abruptly by Ron nudging her in the ribs. It seemed that he and Harry had selected a carriage for the three of them to ride to the castle alongside Ginny, Luna, and Neville. While normally Hermione might have had some sharp comment to shoot at Ron for getting her attention in such a tactless way, this time she said nothing and privately smiled to herself, for she looked at his nudge as a sign that things were returning to normal as it was something that he would have done in years past. After their kiss in the Chamber of Secrets during the battle, they had tried dating but realized that they preferred being friends—they had been like siblings for far too long to pursue a romantic relationship with one-another. Things had been strained between them as they regained their footing, but their relationship seemed almost back to normal.

"Did you catch sight of that carriage that we just passed?" Neville asked in a rather conspiratorial tone.

"Are you referring to the one full of students or the one full of students?" Ron asked snidely, though he grinned to show that he was teasing.

"I'm talking about the one full of Slytherins!" Neville exclaimed, seeming too excited to share his news to care about Ron's teasing.

"I did see that!" Ginny responded, brow furrowed in confusion from where she sat with Harry's arm wrapped around her. "I'm surprised that they would choose to return as well."

"Who was in it exactly?" Hermione asked with mild interest.

"Malfoy, Parkinson, Goyle, Zabini, Nott, and the Greengrass sisters," Neville responded.

"I suppose that makes perfect sense," Luna said dreamily.

"How do you reckon?" Harry asked her kindly. He no longer seemed surprised by anything that the quirky Ravenclaw said anymore, and in fact was usually quite eager to hear what she had to say, having learned that her comments while odd, tended to be incredibly insightful.

"Well if I were one of them, I would be quite lonely and sad or angry about my parents receiving life sentences in Azkaban, and would be at a loss for how to reintegrate myself into a world which is being rather unkind to me. At least with choosing to return for the optional eighth year I'd be going back to a routine that I'm used to with fellow Slytherins who understand what I'm going through," Luna replied calmly. Having said her piece, she pulled out the latest copy of the _Quibbler_ and began to read it—upside down of course.

Her friends rode the rest of the way to the castle in silence, pondering her wise words and wondering with some trepidation if the same animosity would exist during their classes. Upon arriving at the castle, the group traipsed along with the rest of their classmates into the Great Hall to their seats. Hermione noticed that Malfoy was still sneering at other students—but only at those who were glaring at him. She also couldn't help noticing that a pink tinge was colouring his cheeks. It seemed that her Slytherin foe was ill-at-ease among his peers. This worried her, for in the past his discomfort had translated into hurled insults. Only time would tell if that remained the case.

The Sorting ceremony and dinner passed uneventfully, though Hermione once again noticed that the festivities were rather muted. She did not seem to be the only one to note that, for after the plates had been magically cleared of their food and returned to their gleaming states, Headmistress McGonagall stood up to make the start of term announcements. She listed the standard warnings about the Forbidden Forrest and Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, which many of the students had just about tuned out until they were jerked back to attention by her last announcement.

"I am sure that many of you have noticed the gloomy atmosphere that has greeted you upon your return to Hogwarts. I fully understand the reason for this nature, and I myself sometimes succumb to it. Many beloved friends and family members were lost on these grounds only a short while ago. A guidance counsellor has joined our staff who is happy to meet with any of you at any point should you need it, and of course please know that my door along with the doors of all of my colleagues are always open to you if you need to talk to someone. However, our loved ones made their sacrifices and fought for us so that we could _live_ , happily and unrestrained. So live we shall! In order to bring some joy and festivities back, the staff and I have decided that we will be throwing a ball at the end of the month. On the 30th of September, a dance will be held here in the Great Hall. First to fourth years will be welcome to stay until 10pm, and then the fifth to eight years may remain until 1am. Announcements will be posted next week with the theme and the first trip to Hogsmeade will be open to everyone and pushed up to the third week of the month so that you may all buy the appropriate fixings for your costumes."

At her words, murmurs began spreading through the Hall. Harry turned to the group with his eyebrows raised. "Costumes?"

"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed eagerly, practically wriggling with excitement. This was right up her alley. When the boys had turned away, she turned to Hermione and waggled her eyebrows. "This is absolutely perfect for what we discussed."

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. Ever since she and Ron had had their amicable breakup, Ginny had been very pushy about finding Hermione a new man, insisting that that was the perfect solution to helping her snap out of her funk.

"You scoff but just wait!" Ginny remained unfazed as usual. "Costumes, makeup, punch, music, dancing…all of the fixings are there!"

"Wobbling in heels, being crap at dancing, awkward conversation, being a wallflower…" Hermione responded. As she spoke, she inadvertently made eye contact with Malfoy…who had apparently been staring at her? To her surprise, his expression remained neutral when their gaze connected, merely holding eye contact for a moment before turning his full attention to Blaise who had been saying something to him.

Hermione recalled the last time that they had held eye contact, when she had been tied up along with Harry, Ron, Griphook, and Dean in Malfoy Manor, as Malfoy told his crazed aunt that he did not recognize them. Perhaps such events had changed him. As she trudged up the moving staircases to Gryffindor Tower, she couldn't help but think that there really was no such thing as a dull day at Hogwarts.

 **A necessary set-up chapter, but I promise that the next one will be more from Draco's pov and will contain actual spoken interaction between them! Anyway, hope you liked what you read so far, and please show your thoughts with a follow/fav/review**

 **Cheers, fan.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Welcome, welcome everyone!" Slughorn boomed as he stood before his uncharacteristically large class of seventh years—made larger by the eighth years that would be learning seventh year lessons along with them. Slughorn privately thanked the gods that potions were taught in the dungeons, the chilly atmosphere masking the excess body heat.

"Given the unique circumstances surrounding this year's class, I have decided to shake up my lesson plan. Rather than following standard procedure and making a new potion every few classes, this semester we are going to embark on a longer project, and make a much more complex potion. In fact, we are going to make one of my favourites, as it requires all of the skills which you must learn to pass this year. We will be making _Amortentia!_ " Several of the students gasped, with more than a few of the girls eliciting longing sighs as well. "Now, due to the influx of students registered in this course, we are a little bit short on space," Slughorn continued, mopping his head as he spoke. "As a result, I am afraid that it will be necessary for you to work in pairs. Just for the fun of it, let's shake things up! Everyone pick a partner whom you have never worked with before—bonus points if it is someone who you would never think to work with!"

He clapped his hands in strained excitement, a sentiment that was not mirrored in the expressions of his pupils, who were eyeing each other with a fair degree of trepidation. Then, as though they were electrocuted into action, there was a flurry of activity with more than a fair bit of shoving as they all scrambled to find a partner whom they could bear working with. Hermione's mind worked furiously as she tried to determine which of her classmates would least jeopardize her chances of acing the class. Unfortunately, she was not left much choice in her pairing as everyone else was more concerned with the social benefits of their pairings and all paired off before she could say anything. Catching sight of the slightly guilty faces of her Gryffindor classmates, Hermione turned slowly to the one other student who was left without a partner—"Malfoy?" She whispered.

"Don't worry Granger, I was always good at potions. You should still be able to get that perfect mark I know you're obsessing over," her new partner responded coolly, though Hermione noted that there was significantly less malice in his voice than usual.

"Yes I suppose with the second-best potions master by my side I should be able to manage," Hermione snapped back, though there was a twinkle in her eye as she said it. She was quite impressed when Draco merely rolled his eyes as he turned and began to walk to the back of the room. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Hermione called out.

"Where does it look like I'm going Granger? I'm getting us a seat," he drawled.

"But I always sit in the front!" Hermione protested.

"And I always sit in the back," Draco replied. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, old Sluggy will still be able to see your frantically waving hand just fine from my seat," he added with a sneer. Pansy, whom he was passing as he said so, snickered raucously at his words. She may not be allowed to hate the know-it-all for her blood status anymore, but that didn't mean that she had any reason to like her.

Hermione's cheeks reddened at the laughter. Clearly not much had changed, they were still locked in that vicious game they had always played. Not to be out done, she stalked to her new seat at the back and began chopping up the mandrake roots that had been laid out for them by Slughorn before class began. "I was going to do that!" Draco protested.

"Oh I'm so sorry, I guess we'll have to work on our communications skills, you know, discussing decisions before we make them," Hermione replied smoothly. "You know how it is with mandrake roots, only one person should cut them per batch as they are so particular, and everyone has a unique cutting pattern. I guess you could get started on lighting the cauldron up?"

Draco was clearly put-out, but he knew she was right and that there was no point arguing. After all, though he would never admit it, he too wanted to get a good mark in the class and was secretly happy to be paired with such an adept potions maker as Hermione.

Hermione smiled privately to herself at his lack of response. Two could play that game. The pair worked for the rest of the class in relative silence, only breaking it occasionally to say such things as "Could you please pass this?" Or "Could you hand me that?" Hermione expelled a huge sigh of relief as she exited the potions room two hours later with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Though the class had gone fairly smoothly, it had still been undeniably tense as she and Malfoy had tip-toed around each other in a careful dance that both of them were aware was performed precariously on a knife edge.

"I'm so sorry you got paired with the ferret," Ron commented sympathetically.

"In an ideal world, I would have gotten partnered with someone else, but it really wasn't so bad," Hermione responded.

"Really?" Ginny asked with interest.

"Really," Hermione replied. "We didn't talk very much and that worked just fine."

"Wow!" Ginny said. "I would just love to know what he smells when the potion is completed," she added in a conspiratorial tone.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably. The last time she had smelled _Amortentia_ she had smelled Ron's unique scent, though she had never told anyone that tidbit. Would that still be the case? Or had she truly moved on? Her mind quickly flashed to the upcoming ball but she immediately pushed the intrusional thought away. She had meant what she told Ginny—she wasn't looking for love. Quite frankly she didn't have the time nor the patience. The last few years had been so full of upheaval, she needed some peace and quiet and relationships were so much work. Besides, she had so much studying to do….

"I'm so sorry that you got paired with that mudblood, Drakey-poo," Pansy crooned in what Draco was sure she thought was an alluring voice but which in reality grated on his nerves like the chirrups of Cornish Pixies.

"We don't talk like that anymore Pansy!" He snarled at her.

Pansy looked quite taken aback but nevertheless persevered in an uncharacteristic show of bravery. "I know that we don't _in public,_ but that doesn't mean that we need to spout that reformation crap in the privacy of our own common room!"

"It isn't crap," Draco replied hotly. "We were wrong okay? It's time to change. Granger is not inferior to us, in fact I dare say that she's got more magical talent than the two of us combined!"

Pansy looked absolutely disgusted. "Don't tell me that you've grown to like the bitch!?"

"This isn't a matter of liking Pans, but of right and wrong. It's time that you learned which is which!" Draco replied before stalking to the boys' dorm. He had a terrible headache. As he lay on his bed with a groan and rubbed his pounding temples in frustration, he allowed himself a moment to mull over Pansy's words. Granger certainly still annoyed the Hell out of him. She was just so uptight and condescending. Yet Draco couldn't deny that she was undeniably clever, and rather witty as a result. Draco couldn't help wondering if perhaps he should at least make an effort to be cordial, as they would be working together for the rest of the semester. Yet while he had overcome many of the prejudicial thoughts that had plagued him since his childhood, there were still some residual effects, almost as though he had an innate distaste toward Gryffindors, or at least toward the Golden Trio. His mind went round and round in circles as he slipped into a fitful sleep.

 **Well there you have it, chapter two! I know that it's still mostly set-up, but I think that's about done now, let the drama begin! xD Hit me up with a follow/fav/review to let me know what you think! ~Fan**


	3. Chapter 3

"Good morning," Hermione said pleasantly as she slid into her seat next to Draco at the back of the room without complaint.

"Morning," he responded curtly, still troubled by his deliberations from the other night. He could tell from the momentary tensing of her shoulders that she had noticed his rather gruff tone but to her credit, she did nothing to deliberately indicate that she had noticed and simply proceeded to unpack her supplies without another word.

After a few more moments of silence his guilt caught up with him and he decided to extend an olive branch and said, "So….how have your classes been going so far?"

She jerked toward him with surprise. "They-they've been great thanks," she responded shyly. Then, as though she couldn't help herself, she launched into a detailed analysis of each of her classes and the material which she was most excited to cover. Draco couldn't help chuckling.

Hermione's cheeks flamed at his laughter. "Oh come on," she said in a voice laced with venom. "Are you seriously going to continue to mock me? I enjoy school okay! So would you just let it go, or at the very least, find something more original to mock me for?"

"What?" Draco protested, genuinely surprised. "I wasn't laughing at you. I was amused because it never ceases to amaze me how passionate you get about school. You've got to admit, you're sort of one of a kind. Most people don't actually _like_ doing homework."

"Oh," Hermione had the good grace to look bashful. "Well you can't blame me, it's not like our history would point to a pleasant laugh on your part!"

"You're right," he conceded. "I do apologize." It was then that he was struck by a mischievous thought. The truth was, riling her up was so much fun because it was so easy and she was so dramatic. But he couldn't very well do that anymore by being cruel, so he had to find another manner in which to do so.

Leaning in in conspiratorial manner, he spoke in a low tone. "The truth is, that it's kind of cute when you go on about it all eagerly like that." As soon as he finished speaking, he leaned back and directed his attention to the blackboard where Slughorn was writing the day's instructions. He kept watch on her from the corner of his eye however, so the thick blush that spread across her cheeks was not missed by him. While he had only said what he did to egg her on, the thought that crossed his mind about her looking adorable when she blushed like that was genuine.

Hermione had reluctantly promised Ginny that she would accompany her to Hogsmeade after potions to do some preliminary shopping for the ball. She told her friend that she had to run back to Gryffindor tower to quickly freshen up before they left however, as in reality, she needed a few minutes alone after the bizarre interaction that she had had with Draco. She knew that Ginny would want her to tell her about it, but she simply wasn't ready to talk about it. The truth was that she half hoped that if she didn't acknowledge it, then maybe it hadn't really happened. Because how could that have been real? She must have been transported to a parallel universe for Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince, ex-Death Eater, and bane of her existence, had called her cute. She could maybe accept that he was behaving cordially to her, after all, hadn't the war affected everyone? But downright flirting with her!? That was another matter entirely. There's no way he'd ever do that. She must have imagined it. Yes, that's what had happened.

By the time Hermione got back to the entrance hall, she had nearly convinced herself that she had imagined the whole exchange. "Ready to go?" Ginny asked her.

"No!" Hermione groaned in response, but dutifully set off down the path to Hogsmeade with her best girlfriend. "So, what torturous plans do you have for us today?"

Ginny rolled her eyes at her friend's melodramatic question but responded, "Well that depends. Have you decided whether or not you'll be going in full disguise?"

At that, Hermione noticeably perked up. "I forgot that we could do that! That's a load off my mind—people won't know the awkward klutz is me. Yes, I'll definitely be going in full disguise."

"Oh come on Mione, you know you're not that bad," Ginny protested. "Not that I'm disagreeing with you going in full disguise—all the more fun for me when getting you ready," she grinned wickedly. "We'll definitely have to change your hair, it's a dead giveaway," she added thoughtfully.

"You won't catch me complaining," Hermione chuckled ruefully.

"We'll definitely start with dress shopping," Ginny stated with satisfaction. "The rest of our get-ups will be designed around them."

And so the girls found themselves at the main dress store in the little village, perusing rack upon rack of dresses. Eventually, they had each narrowed down their selections to three main contenders, and proceeded to the dressing rooms to model them for each other.

At Hermione's insistence, Ginny went first, though she rolled her eyes as she flounced into the stall, knowing full well that Hermione was simply delaying the inevitable. A few minutes later she re-emerged donning the first contender, a deep purple strapless piece with diamond cutouts at the hips. Hermione thought it was very sexy, but Ginny was unsatisfied, so a few minutes later she remerged wearing an ice blue spaghetti strap dress that was fairly modest in the front but which plunged in the back all the way to her waist. It was extremely tight fitting, showing off the red head's Quidditch physique.

"Oh Gin, it brings out your eyes beautifully," Hermione said softly. "Yes, I don't thinkI'll be trying on the third one," Ginny agreed happily. "That means….you're up!" She added cheekily. "Are you sure you don't want to try that third one on?" Hermione laughed weakly as she traded places in the stall.

"It's alright," Ginny said as she eyed Hermione critically, who was modelling her first selection, a red dress with full length sleeves and silver trim.

"It's okay Gin, I'm not the biggest fan either," Hermione said with a smile.

"Oh thank goodness!" Ginny said as she expelled a sigh of relief.

Hermione's next contender, a coral pink strapless number, was met with a similar response on both their parts. But then…

"Oh Mione," Ginny said softly as she examined the other girl, who stood before her in a sea green dress with butterfly sleeves and some simple criss-cross work across the front, which hinted at her assets in an elegant manner. It was simple, elegant, and oh so Hermione.

"I actually love it!" Hermione said happily. "And just think, no one will ever expect it to be me in a Slytherin coloured dress!" The two laughed as they happily packed up and headed to the checkout to pay for their finds.

The pair were on their way to the Three Broomsticks for a quick butterbeer before their trek back to the castle when they ran into none other than the Slytherin prince himself.

"Well well well, you ladies wouldn't be doing some shopping for a certain masked ball would you?" he asked. "You never seemed to me to really be the primping kind, Granger," he added.

"You certainly didn't seem to think so when you, along with the rest of the school, couldn't keep your eyes off her at the Yule Ball in fourth year!" Ginny cut in defensively. To her surprise, Malfoy didn't take her bait as she had expected.

"Hey, I can't deny a pretty sight when I see one," he replied evenly before heading off in the opposite direction, tossing a "See you in potions Granger," over his shoulder.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Ginny rounded on Hermione. "What in Merlin's name was that?!" She accused accusingly.

"I have no idea," Hermione immediately replied.

"You said he wasn't that bad to work with in potions the other day," Ginny pressed, though she was noticeably calmer. "Was he that friendly?"

"He was still an annoying git," Hermione responded. "Though he was borderline friendly earlier today," she confessed. "But I have no idea what's going through his mind, Gin. The man is a mystery."

"Hmm," Ginny's brow was furrowed. "We'll have to keep an eye on that for sure."

Draco cursed himself mentally as he trudged back to the castle. He had taken this "friendly" thing a step too far back there, and he knew the Weaslette had noticed. He needed to ensure that he made it clear that he was no longer the Death Eater of their sixth year, but he didn't want to become a sappy Hufflepuff in the process. It was just so damn hard when Granger was, well, Granger. The truth was that she had always fascinated him. Her intellect and sharp tongue had always been entertaining to him, and her kind heart was something to behold in his mind, as he had never experienced someone like her with his upbringing. But she was no good for him, nor he for her. The fact was that despite the end of the war, they and the circles that they moved in were still a universe apart. He would have to draw a line in the sand, lest he be tempted to bridge that gap, for who knew what trouble that would bring.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione rushed down the hallway, ignoring the Fat Lady's indignant "Well good day to you too!" careened around the corner, and nearly flew down the stairs. She was at a loss as to what was going on. She, Hermione Granger, the queen of punctuality and organization, was at risk of being late for the second time in two days. She must not be late. She absolutely could not be late, especially not after her conversation the day before…

Hermione suspected that her newfound lack of punctuality had something to do with being truly relaxed for the first time in years. She had always been happiest at Hogwarts, and a return to to her beloved school that was free of any fear of Death Eaters, crooked teachers, or Voldemort, particularly after having spent the past year cramped in a tent with Harry and Ron hunting for horcruxes, meant that she was eating more and sleeping more deeply. Thus, she found herself sleeping well past her usual wakeup time. Yesterday this had led to her being tardy for Ancient Runes, as well as her run-in with one Draco Malfoy.

"Blimey Granger!" Malfoy had cried as she slammed right into him rounding a corner at break-neck speed.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, turning beet red as she did. How utterly embarrassing! At the same time, her shoulders hunched in tension as she prepared herself for the tirade of insults that was sure to ensue. To her surprise, Malfoy began to roar with laughter instead. "What are you laughing at!?" she cried.

It took him a moment to respond as he was bent over with laughter, clutching at a stitch in his side. Finally, he managed to eke out, "Hermione—Granger—late—for class—I never—thought I'd see the day!"

"It's not funny!" she protested indignantly. "In fact, it's quite the opposite, it's terrible!"

"Oh relax Granger, look at me, I'm late for class too and I can assure you that fire won't shoot out of Professor Anthrolyn's eyes and disintegrate me when I show up. But if you're so concerned about being late, shouldn't you be on your way instead of standing here talking to me? I mean I know that I have flawless features and am an incredible conversationalist but really, get going," he responded, silently cursing himself for the undeniable flutters he felt upon uttering "talking to me."

Hermione meanwhile, appeared electrocuted into action at his logic and with a quick "Right, thanks Malfoy!" she was rushing off again. However, she came to an abrupt halt at the end of the corridor, looking rather like a cartoon character, and turned back, confusion apparent in the furrow of her brow and crinkle of her nose. "Hang on now, I haven't heard of this Professor Anthrolyn. What do they teach?"

Averting his eyes from her piercing gaze, Draco murmured, "Muggle studies." Perhaps to cover his momentary discomfort, or maybe simply to continue to demonstrate his existing sense of humour, he added, "Best not keep me waiting in potions tomorrow, Granger," before disappearing around the corner, leaving Hermione to careen to her class, a daze now clouding her panic.

"Best not keep me waiting in potions tomorrow, Granger," echoed over and over in her mind as she ran as quickly as she could down the long path to the dungeons. She absolutely could net let him be right.

"Ah Ms. Granger, I was beginning to wonder!" Slughorn said as Hermione ran panting into the potions room. She looked frowning around the room at her classmates, some of whom were still milling around chatting.

"I'm sorry Professor, but I don't understand. Class doesn't appear to have started?"

"Quite right indeed Ms. Granger, please do not alarm yourself you are not late, I suppose in a way I am actually paying you a compliment as my surprise is merely at the fact that you were on time rather than early."

Hermione flushed pink with pleasure and replied, "Ahh, well thank you," rather demurely.

Draco shook his head in good-natured amusement. He had had a perfect vantage point to observe the entire exchange from his seat in the front row. His movement seemed to draw Hermione's eye like a magnet and he watched with satisfaction as shock at his choice of seating overtook the irritation that had begun to set in at his judgement of her exchange with Slughorn.

"What are you doing sitting there?" She demanded by way of greeting.

"I figured I better get the seat with the clearest view of the board as I was mildly worried that I might have to take notes for both of us if you were late again," he responded cheekily. "Besides, isn't this your preferred row? Or were you merely complaining about sitting in the back last week because that's where I wanted to sit?" he continued slyly.

"Would you like to gut the blowfish or should I?" she responded in a businesslike manner and he turned away to hide his grin. He smelled victory and they both knew it.

The rest of class passed in relative silence once more, but something had shifted—there was a distinctly companionable quality to their silence. Both had earned some respect in the eyes of the other.

"Don't forget!" Ginny sing-songed.

"How could I?" Hermione groaned.

"Don't sound so excited," Ginny chuckled at the disgruntled expression on her friend's face. The girls had plans (which Hermione had agreed to incredibly reluctantly) to go to Hogsmeade the next morning for costume shopping. Hermione had conceded only on the condition that they go to a couple of book stores as well. After all, clothes shopping twice in one week just seemed like such a waste of time to her. She had pointed out to Ginny that having their dresses seemed like progress enough, but the redhead insisted that they now had to choose their accessories, namely their masks. "It's a _masque_ ball," she had said exasperatedly when Hermione sighed in frustration yet again.

"Come on Mione," just think of Malfoy's face when he sees you walk in here," Ginny said mischievously, gesturing around at the Great Hall where the two sat having supper.

"I beg your pardon!" Hermione protested. "And what do you mean by that!?"

"Just that you two seem to be adjusting to your potions partnership just fine," Ginny said, the picture of innocence. With that, she departed for class before the other girl could argue.

"Might I remind you that it's a masked ball Ginevra! He won't know that it's me!" Hermione called sternly after the redhead's retreating figure.

"Who won't know that it's you?" Ron asked as he sat down, shooting a disgusted glance at Harry who had left him to run after Ginny, presumably for a pre-class snog.

"No one," Hermione responded. Anyone else might have noticed how quickly she responded, but Ron was Ron and there was a pile of chicken drumsticks in front of him so her defensiveness went unnoticed. Indeed the blonde Slytherin seemed to be paying closer attention to the clever Gryffindor from his seat across the Hall.

The Slytherin in question was currently going through the same argument in his mind that he had been obsessing over for the past few days-ever since that fateful encounter in Hogsmeade more specifically. Once he had returned to the sanctity of his dorm in the castle, the encounter did not seem as worrying as it had in the moment. By the time for classes the next day, Draco had convinced himself that he did not in fact need to put walls up between himself and his potions partner. After all, the war was behind them, blood status no longer mattered, and a little friendliness could go a long way. It was much easier to just be friendly-it took a lot less energy and was a lot more fun. Certainly he would never dream of dating Granger, but flirting was okay right? It was all in good fun and didn't mean anything...he sighed, poking at his salad, unenthusiastically. What he really needed was to find himself a distraction.

"What's got your wand in a twist?" Blaise Zabini asked, dropping onto the bench across from Draco.

"Just thinking about how dry my love life is," Draco replied to his best mate.

"Nothing like a masque ball to fix that!" Blaise responded with a wicked grin. "Think of all those faceless women looking for a dashing gent to sweep them off their feet onto the dance floor."

As he high-fived the dark Slytherin across from him, Draco pondered the wisdom of his friend's words. Perhaps Zabini was right. What better place was there to find someone to take his mind off of what was undeniably off-limits?


End file.
